Morton Salt Co. v. G.S. Suppiger Co.

G.S. Suppiger Co. (plaintiff) held a patent for a machine that deposited salt tablets into cans during canning and, through a subsidiary, also manufactured unpatented salt tablets for use in that machine; Suppiger leased over 200 patented machines to canneries under license agreements requiring them to use only Suppiger's own unpatented tablets, tying use of the patented machine to purchase of the unpatented product. Morton Salt Co. (defendant) made its own unpatented salt-depositing machines, and when Suppiger sued Morton for infringing the machine patent and sought an injunction, the trial court granted Morton summary judgment, finding Suppiger was misusing its patent to restrain competitors' sale of salt tablets; the Seventh Circuit reversed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.